Dear Friends, One of the key aspects of November in our parish life is ‘remembering’.On the first Sunday in November, we remember, with thanksgiving, those who were connected with our parish in some way and have died over the course of the past year. On the second Sunday in November, we remember those who gave […]
Dear Friends, We are really excited to announce our continuing plans to resume some of our regular parish activities and organisations in October as we work our way through the risk assessments we need to complete. During the past month the Sunday School, the Boys’ Brigade and Anchor Boys, Messy Church and St. Finnian’s Toddlers […]
Dear Friends, September normally marks the return to all sorts of activities and organisations in parish life. People look forward to seeing friends they haven’t seen for a while and immersing themselves in those activities that are important to them. For the second consecutive year, as these notes go to print, we can’t say with […]
Dear Friends, As this month’s magazine goes to print, the country continues to make its way cautiously out of lockdown. We see restrictions easing on different sectors of society and we are grateful in the first instance for the successful rolling out of the vaccination programme. Many of our parishioners have received one, if not […]
Dear Friends, Over the past year and a bit we seem to find ourselves constantly navigating all sorts of changes because of the pandemic. Initially there was a big scramble to try to record services and the re-creation of a system of pastoral care to ensure people stayed in touch and supported one another in […]
Dear Friends, As we start to take baby steps in terms of coming out of lockdown there are certain things we maybe appreciate in a new way. I found it to be such a moving and beautiful thing to see people back in the church building to worship together on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. […]
Dear Friends, The season of Holy Week and Easter is always a high point in the life of any Christian community. It represents really powerful things to us like the emergence of hope and life after death. It’s a season that is not without its challenges when we walk that road of suffering with our […]
Dear Friends, I wonder if you have ever been struck by how music can transport you to other places and times in your life? Sometimes we hear a song on the radio or a hymn in church and it takes us back perhaps to our school days or holidays or memories of what we were […]
Dear Friends, I was sent a post on my Facebook feed a couple of days ago that made me smile and think at the same time. It featured a photo of former United States President, Jimmy Carter. He was using a hand drill, working on some timber frames. He was dressed in working clothes with […]
Dear Friends, As a new year dawns, few of us are likely to forget 2020 in a hurry. It was the year a global pandemic brought much of life as we know it to a standstill. Back in March when the first lockdown was announced it was hard to believe the footage we saw of […]